Ball Pond Advisory Committee

Meetings

Ball Pond Advisory Committee

Committee Profile

The Ball Pond Advisory Committee (BPAC) advises the Selectmen on sound lake management practices for Ball Pond. Among the biggest challenges to preserving the lake are curtailing invasive plant species like Eurasian watermilfoil and runoff from construction in the watershed.

Facts About Ball Pond

Ball Pond is a natural glacial kettle lake within the Housatonic River drainage basin. The watershed is limited to only 246 acres of mostly developed residential land. It is fed entirely by bottom springs and surface run-off and drains east into Ball Pond Brook which is a tributary of Candlewood Lake. Access to Ball Pond is available to the public through the state-owned boat launch located at the southern end. Shore access is limited to the boat launch area with all other shore areas being private. This peaceful pond is a marvelous summer destination for those with kayaks, canoes, float tubes, and small rowboats; however, all boaters are requested to carefully clean their boats before launching to prevent the importation of invasive species into Ball Pond from other water bodies. No motors, including electric, are allowed. The wintertime brings opportunities for skating, ice fishing, and cross country skiing.

Ball Pond is predominantly a bass and trout lake. It is stocked each spring by the Inland Fisheries unit of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). Ball Pond has been rated the Second Best Bass Lake in Connecticut by the DEP's Inland Fisheries unit based upon the quantity of fish and the quality of their size. Learn more about fishing on Ball Pond.

Grass carp were established in 1997 for weed control. This on-going project with the DEP has been deemed an exceptional success reducing the Eurasian water milfoil bio-mass to about 50% of the pre-stocking volume. By 2011, the milfoil was eradicated; coontail is the current nuisance weed.